[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

Record heat and drought have sharply lowered water levels in major European rivers, disrupting nuclear and hydroelectric power generation. Hungary has switched off the landmark floodlit skyline of Budapest to conserve electricity, while Romania deployed its navy to blast riverbed rock and secure cooling water for a nuclear power plant.

The Hungarian government cut off nighttime illumination of the Parliament building, Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge — Budapest's most iconic landmarks — after a drop in the Danube's water level triggered an electricity supply emergency on Friday, according to Reuters and other outlets. The riverside night views that normally draw visitors, including many South Korean tourists, have gone dark, leaving travelers to an unusually dim cityscape.

The immediate cause is a record low in the Danube's flow. The Paks nuclear power plant, which supplies about 40 percent of Hungary's electricity, uses river water for cooling, but the water level has recently fallen to 23 centimeters — below the previous record low of 33 centimeters set in 2018 — making it increasingly difficult to draw sufficient water.

As intake equipment lost effectiveness at such low levels, the plant's output dropped sharply. Local officials have raised the prospect of a complete shutdown for the first time since the plant began commercial operation in the 1980s.

To reduce electricity consumption, the Hungarian government turned off lighting at public facilities, suspended freight train services during rush hours and ordered some passenger trains to slow down. It also asked businesses and households to limit air conditioning use and electric vehicle charging during evening hours.

The measures cut daily electricity demand by roughly 700 megawatts, the government said. Officials added that solar capacity expanded over the past several years has helped partially offset the shortfall.

Neighboring countries face similar pressures. Romania deployed its navy to blast bedrock on the riverbed and redirect water flow toward the Cernavodă nuclear power plant after cooling water supplies became critically low. The government declared a national state of emergency for August and has introduced power-saving measures including reduced public lighting.

The drought's impact extends well beyond power generation. In Serbia, hydroelectric output has fallen to 20 to 30 percent of installed capacity. On the Rhine River in Germany and other parts of Western Europe, sharply lower water levels have forced cargo vessels to sail with only partial loads, snarling supply chains. In Serbia, where stretches of riverbed have been exposed, the wreckage of German warships sunk during World War II has resurfaced.

Experts say the crisis illustrates how climate change is directly threatening energy infrastructure, not merely causing extreme heat. With nuclear plants and hydroelectric facilities simultaneously affected by low river levels, the disruption could ripple across power supply, logistics and industry more broadly. European governments are closely watching whether rain forecast for this weekend will provide meaningful relief from the prolonged drought.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com